Frequently Asked Questions

About returning to school

These questions are those raised by parents from the Bay Academy school community. I will add to them as more come in.

Would like to know that good hygiene practices will be followed and strongly encouraged for each child. Educating them so that they know right from the start the importance of good hand washing/drying. Also, I would like to know that high touch areas will be cleaned regularly.

Our Answer: As a school our primary focus will be on hygiene and safety. We have put in place procedures to ensure all high touch surfaces are cleaned regularly with disinfectant during each school day. This includes devices, desk tops, chairs, door handles, gate latches, playground equipment, sports equipment used by children, rubbish bins, toilet facilities and anything else that presents itself as needing this level of attention. These disinfecting actions will be carried out before and/or after each break time.

We will be providing hand sanitiser at points around the school where high touch surfaces are located. This will include at the gate for children prior to entering the school in the morning off the bus. Every child will sanitise their hands prior to entering.

We will explain, emphasise and remind children of the reasons for these measures. Thank you for the similar messages you are sharing with children at home.

Will the bus be running to school in Level 2 consistently each morning?

Our Answer: The bus will run on its usual timetable once Level 2 is put in place. The current timetable is here. Should it be required the bus will also run to and from school under current Level 3 conditions.

As both parents have lost employment due to the Covid19 restrictions, we are concerned that we cannot cover the travel costs for our child to attend school on a daily basis until employment is reestablished. It would be nice to know if any assistance is available to cover this in the interim

Our Answer: I cannot provide an immediate answer on this question but will find out and update this FAQ. It goes without saying that as a school we will assist however we can.

How will the school manage physical distancing in/out of class with potentially ALL students back? Will there be compulsory covid testing for staff & kids prior to returning? How would a positive result within the school be dealt with & notified?

Our Answer: We are following guidelines from the Ministry around physical distancing. The following is the latest available advice:

“The two key public health principles that support our approach at Alert Level 2 are first to minimise the risk that someone gets infected in the first place, and second to ensure we can identify and contact anyone who has been in close contact with a person, if someone in a school or early learning centre is infected.

 

Any children, young people and staff should stay at home if they are sick, or should be sent home immediately if they show any symptoms.

 

Physical distancing is a good precaution to prevent the spread of disease. In an Alert level 2 school environment, this means children, young people, and staff maintaining a physical distance so that they are not breathing on or touching each other, coupled with good hygiene practices (coughing into your elbow, handwashing and drying) and regular cleaning of commonly touched surfaces.

 

There are situations where physical distancing is not possible, such as some sporting activities. In these situations extra emphasis on handwashing and drying (or cleansing with hand sanitiser) before and after activities and regular cleaning of equipment is recommended.

 

In an early learning environment, it is not really possible to have a physical distance between children and staff. Young children require a lot of physical support and it is not possible to explain or maintain a physical distance between young children given the age of the children and set up of centres.

 

This means good hygiene practices (coughing into your elbow, regular handwashing, and drying) are even more important.

Schools and early learning services will also maintain registers so that children, young people and staff can immediately be contacted by public health services if there is a probable or confirmed case.

 

And it is important that parents fully support this approach by doing their bit - keeping children home if they are unwell and seeking medical advice about whether a child may need to be tested; and ensuring great hygiene practices at all times.

Dr Caroline McElnay

Director, Public Health, Ministry of Health

Staff and children will not be required to compulsorily test for Covid-19 prior to returning.

In the instance that a case is suspected in our school this is from the Ministry of Education, “If a school has a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19, they must close on an individual or group basis for 72 hours, to allow contact tracing, and then potentially for a further 14 days.” At the Bay Academy we are maintaining a detailed contact register to ensure we record when and who has visited the school.

What are the symptoms of Covid-19 and how should I respond?

Our Answer: The message below is from the Ministry of Health. Do not come to school if you have any of these symptoms. We may require you to provide evidence of a negative test for Covid-19 before returning.

Symptoms

The symptoms of COVID-19 are one or more of the following:

These symptoms do not necessarily mean you have COVID-19. The symptoms are similar to other illnesses that are much more common, such as cold and flu.

Shortness of breath is a sign of possible pneumonia and requires immediate medical attention.

Symptoms take up to 14 days to show after a person has been infected. A person can pass on the virus to others before they know they have it - from up to two days before symptoms develop.

If you have these symptoms, please telephone Healthline (for free) on 0800 358 5453 or your doctor immediately. 

What hand santiser’s and disinfectant products are we using at the Bay Academy?

Our Answer: Our goal is to use environmentally safe and friendly products for all cleaning purposes. Our septic system does function with the use of harsh chemicals that kill the organisms that allow it to function properly.

For disinfectant spray in the classroom we will be using Earthwise plant based organic spray, and/or the alternative product made by Littlefoot.

The Hand Sanitiser we are using is provided by the Ministry of Education. It has an alcohol base sufficient to meet the requirements of an antiviral product. Details of product ingredients are as follows: